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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29107521">Today and Every Day</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/eternaleponine/pseuds/eternaleponine'>eternaleponine</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Beating Out Of Time [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The 100 (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>(but not for long), Adoption, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Domestic Fluff, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Marriage Proposal, Single Parent Clarke Griffin, Weddings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 03:27:12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>15,661</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29107521</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/eternaleponine/pseuds/eternaleponine</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Lexa is still recovering from the accident that landed her in the hospital, which led to her admitting her feelings to her long-time roommate and best friend Clarke.  When a work obligation leads to Clarke leaving her son Aden with Lexa for the evening, the two have a heart-to-heart when Aden asks Lexa an unexpected question.</p>
<p>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/bdasswarrior/pseuds/bdasswarrior">bdasswarrior</a>, who requested soft domestic Clexa family for my Will Write For Votes campaign.  Hope this fits the bill!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Clarke Griffin/Lexa</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Beating Out Of Time [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2135670</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>139</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>566</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Are you sure?" Clarke asked.  "I can cancel, or reschedule.  Extenuating circumstances.  I'm sure they'll understand."  Lines had etched themselves between her brows, cutting so deep Lexa worried the marks might become permanent long before Clarke's time.  They were only 24, after all.  If she was going to get any fine lines or wrinkles this early, Lexa wanted them to be laugh lines.  </p>
<p>"I'm sure," Lexa assured her for the third or fourth time that day.  She'd lost track of how many times they'd had the same conversation over the last few days, after Clarke had been reminded of a work engagement she'd agreed to just before Lexa's accident that she'd forgotten to put in her calendar.  Lexa had been home for a few weeks now, and her injuries were healing.  More slowly than she would have liked, but healing nonetheless.  She was still a long way from being able to make it up to the second floor, but Clarke had converted their rarely used dining room into a bedroom for her... which Lexa couldn't help wishing was a bedroom for them, but with one leg in a giant cast and the other hip still sore from being screwed back together, she wasn't exactly easy to snuggle up to.  But she had progressed past the point of needing help with absolutely everything, and it wasn't as if Aden was still a baby.  She could watch him for a few hours while Clarke was out.  </p>
<p>"I have Lincoln on standby if anything comes up," Lexa added.  "He's only a few minutes away."  </p>
<p>"What if—" Clarke started, but stopped when Lexa reached out and took her hand, lacing their fingers together and pressing her lips to Clarke's knuckles.  It was still new, this open and easy affection between them, and even if she didn't have a heart monitor to betray her, Lexa's heart still sped up every time they touched.  Clarke smiled and seemed to deflate.  "You'll call if you need me?"</p>
<p>"Of course," Lexa said.  "Go.  Have a good time."</p>
<p>At that Clarke rolled her eyes.  "Not likely," she said, "but thanks."  She leaned down and kissed Lexa's upturned face, first on the forehead as if Lexa was Aden (which, to be fair, was an easier mistake to make now than before, since they were about the same height with Lexa sitting in her wheelchair), and then on the lips with a wry smile when she realized what she'd done.  </p>
<p>"Aden!" Lexa called.  "Come say good night to your Mom!  You'll probably be in bed by the time she gets home."  </p>
<p>Aden came pounding down the stairs, ready to hurl himself from the third to last step before he remembered Lexa wouldn't be waiting at the bottom to catch him.  He skidded and grabbed the bannister, and Lexa leaned forward, her heart in her throat because there was nothing she could do to stop what appeared to be imminent disaster, but at the last moment he caught his balance.</p>
<p>Clarke fixed him with a stern look.  "What have I told you about running on the stairs?"  </p>
<p>"Don't do it," Aden said, hanging his head, but Lexa caught a twinkle in his eye that belied his contrite posture.  </p>
<p>"That's right," Clarke said.  "Also, there is no 'probably' about you being in bed by the time I get home.  You will <i>definitely</i> be in bed, and you won't give Lexa a hard time about it, you understand me?"</p>
<p>Aden heaved a sigh.  "Yes, Mom," he said.  </p>
<p>"You won't give her a hard time about anything, including but not limited to eating your vegetables, taking a shower, brushing your teeth, putting away your toys, etcetera.  Right?"</p>
<p>Aden groaned.  "We'll be <i>fine</i>, Mom," he said.  "You have <i>nothing</i> to worry about.  I will take very good care of Lexa while you're out."  He grinned, and at long last, Clarke smiled.  </p>
<p>"Come here," she said, reaching out to tousle his hair and using it as leverage to pull him toward her.  He allowed himself to be pulled, and dutifully wrapped his arms around his mom as she squeezed him tight.  "I love you, kiddo," she said.  </p>
<p>"I know," he said, tipping up his face to show off his gap-toothed grin.  </p>
<p>"Aden," Lexa said, twisting her face into an exaggerated scowl when he looked at her, which only made his smile wider.</p>
<p>"I love you too, Mom," he said, and wriggled away... only to latch onto her arm when she reached for the door.  When Clarke turned, he threw his arms around her and held on.  Clarke crouched down a little and murmured something to him Lexa couldn't quite hear.  She brushed back his hair from his forehead and kissed the crown of his head as she straightened.  </p>
<p>"Call me if you need anything," Clarke said.  "<i>Anything</i>."  </p>
<p>"We will," Lexa said.  "Promise."  She got one last kiss from Clarke and rolled to the door, wrapping one arm around Aden's waist.  They waved as she pulled out of the driveway and didn't stop until she was out of sight.</p>
<p>Aden turned to her and grinned.  "I thought she would <i>never</i> leave."  </p>
<p>Lexa laughed, then settled her face into a stern expression.  "You don't think we were going to have <i>fun</i> while she's gone, do you?  Because there is No Fun Allowed.  This is strictly a No Fun Zone."</p>
<p>Aden rolled his eyes so hard his entire head followed.  "I don't be<i>lieve</i> you," he said, his voice going slightly sing-song.  "We <i>always</i> have fun together."  </p>
<p>Lexa tightened her grip on the wheels of her chair, resisting the urge to press her hand to her chest where it felt like her heart didn't quite fit anymore.  Since things had changed with Clarke... or not changed, not much, except that they'd finally admitted the feelings they'd both been stuffing down for so long... she found that how she looked at Aden had changed, too.  It was like a switch had been flipped when she and Clarke kissed, and where she might once have tried to tell herself that Clarke and Aden were a friend and her son, Lexa now couldn't label them as anything but what they'd been all along: her family.  </p>
<p>"Oh yeah?" she asked, when she was sure her voice wouldn't break.  "What kind of fun do you think we're going to have?"  </p>
<p>"We can play soccer!" Aden said.  "Only we'll have to play in the driveway since you can't go in the back yard."  </p>
<p>"Not without getting stuck," Lexa said.</p>
<p>"Again," Aden giggled, and Lexa did her best impression of the angry emoji as she grabbed him and started tickling him until he squealed at her to stop.  He collapsed across her knees, which didn't feel great, but it was a level of pain she could handle, his chest heaving as he caught his breath.  </p>
<p>"Again," she admitted.  Clarke had been less than thrilled when Lexa had decided to go off-roading into the grass to play (as much as it was possible for her to play) with Aden a couple of weeks ago, and her wheels had sunk down in the soft ground and she hadn't been able to get herself back out.  Thankfully Clarke had been home at the time or Lexa wasn't sure what she would have done.  Called Lincoln, probably, who would never have let her live it down... which was why she wasn't going to risk a repeat.  </p>
<p>"Go get your ball," she said, and retrieved her hoodie from its hook and shrugged awkwardly into it.  Aden ran to the back yard and came back with his soccer ball, and Lexa rolled out the front door and down the ramp Lincoln and some of his friends had built to allow her to get in and out of the house more easily.  </p>
<p>"You play goalie," Aden said, as if there was any other position she could possibly play.  </p>
<p>"Can I at least have a crutch to assist me?" Lexa asked.  "Real goalies can jump and dive.  I'm pretty stuck."</p>
<p>Aden considered, clearly not wanting to give her any advantage in preventing him from scoring all the goals, but finally sighed.  "O-<i>kay</i>," he said, and ran back indoors to get it.  Lexa set herself up, holding the crutch something like a hockey stick, and hunkered down, waiting for his approach.  This was another activity she was sure Clarke wouldn't approve of, but it made Aden happy, and perhaps more importantly, burned off some of his excess energy.  If he'd been a dog, she would have just thrown a ball for him to fetch, which required very little movement on her part and lots on his.  This was the next best thing.  </p>
<p>In the end, she only managed to block maybe one in five shots, and she had to concede defeat.  Aden threw up his arms in victory, then clambered half into the chair with her to press his sweaty face into her neck.  "You tried," he consoled her.  "Better luck next time."  </p>
<p>Lexa laughed and scooped him the rest of the way into her lap (which felt even less great) to hug him properly.  She tried to roll them both back up to the house, but the added weight was more than she could manage to get up the slope and Aden was forced to abandon ship.  "I can push you!" he said.  "Here, hold these."  He handed her the ball and her crutch, and got behind the chair, grunting with effort as they made their way up to the porch and back inside.  </p>
<p>"Shoes off," Lexa reminded him.  "And how did you get so many grass-stains when we weren't even in the grass?"  </p>
<p>Aden looked himself up and down and shrugged.  "I'm very talented," he said.  </p>
<p>"You sure are," Lexa said.  "How about you go take your shower now so you don't have to do it later and I'll get dinner started?"</p>
<p>"Do I <i>have</i> to?" Aden whined.  </p>
<p>"Do you have to take your shower now?  No," Lexa said.  "Do you have to take a shower at some point before you go to bed?  Yes.  And you promised your mom you wouldn't complain about it."  </p>
<p>Aden scrunched up his face, looking like he was getting ready to launch into a list of reasons why he didn't <i>really</i> need to take a shower.    </p>
<p>"If you take your shower, you can have a turn with my chair," Lexa said.  </p>
<p>His eyes brightened and he stuck out his hand.  "Deal!"  </p>
<p>They shook on it, and he ran – then slowed down when Lexa cleared her throat – up the stairs.  "Don't forget to wash your face!" she called after him.  </p>
<p>"I won't!" he yelled back.</p>
<p>"Or the rest of you!" </p>
<p>He groaned, and heavy footsteps marked his progress down the hall to the bathroom.  She listened for the sound of the water turning on, glancing at her phone to mark the time, because if it turned off in less than five minutes, he would be sent back for a second round.  </p>
<p>While he was in the shower, Lexa made her way to the kitchen.  Clarke had laid out the things she would need for dinner that she couldn't easily reach, but it was still more than a little awkward to navigate on wheels with one leg stuck straight out in front of her, encased in plaster (or fiberglass, or whatever it was they used these days).  She managed to get water in the pot and get the pot on the stove, but the knobs to actually turn it on were out of reach.  Shit.  She rolled over to where they'd stashed the long grabber with the claw on the end and after a few tries, finally managed to get it on the right knob.  Twisting it proved almost as tricky, and by the time the heat came on under the water, Lexa was exhausted.  </p>
<p>"Can I put on my pajamas?" Aden shouted down the stairs.  </p>
<p>"I don't see why not," Lexa called back.  If he managed to spill food on them, he could just put on clean ones.  Clarke wouldn't notice an extra set in the seemingly endless pile of laundry.  </p>
<p>A few minutes later, Aden came crashing into the kitchen in his favorite Star Wars pjs, making Wookiee noises at her as he peered into the pot to see what was cooking.  He looked at her skeptically.  "We're having hot water for dinner?"</p>
<p>"We're having mac and cheese, you goon!" she laughed.  "And broccoli trees, which you also promised you wouldn't complain about." </p>
<p>"I <i>like</i> broccoli trees," Aden said, sticking out his tongue.  "Can I help?"</p>
<p>"Yes, you absolutely can help," Lexa said, breathing a sigh of relief.  Together they got dinner on the table, and Aden recounted their soccer game for her as if she hadn't been there.  <i>Maybe he has a future as a sports commentator,</i> Lexa thought, but wondered if he would have as much enthusiasm for other people's triumphs as his own.  Probably.  She was pretty sure she'd seen him congratulate someone on the other team for a good goal once, right in the middle of the game.  </p>
<p>When they were done, Aden helped her clean up.  "Can we have dessert now?" he asked.  </p>
<p>Lexa glanced at the clock, weighing the number of hours until bedtime against how long the sugar high would take to wear off and the odds that if she let him have dessert too early he would try to weedle a second snack out of her before bed.  "In a little while," she said.  "Why don't you help me get settled on the couch and you can take my chair for a spin."  Which was probably just asking for trouble, but...</p>
<p>"Oh yeah!" Aden said.  He followed her into the living room and helped her create a nest out of the overabundance of throw pillows she had frequently teased Clarke about, which were finally proving to be a help rather than a hindrance.  She grunted as she moved herself out of the chair and onto the couch, which was getting easier but was not now, nor did she think it would ever be, graceful.  Aden packed a few more pillows around her cast, then climbed into her chair and did a few laps around the first floor.</p>
<p>His cheeks were flushed when he finally came around for the fourth or fifth time.  "Don't your arms get <i>tired</i>?" he asked, hugging himself and rubbing his shoulders.  </p>
<p>"They definitely do," she said.  "Maybe it's time for a break."  </p>
<p>"Maybe," he said.  "Is it time for dessert <i>now</i>?"</p>
<p>"Not quite," she said, and when he poked his lip out in a pout, she did it right back at him until he started to giggle.  </p>
<p>"Can I draw another picture on your cast?" he asked.  </p>
<p>"If you can find a spot you haven't already covered," she teased.  He ran to get his markers, and soon he was hunched over her leg, his tongue poking out of the corner of his mouth as he focused on fitting whatever new idea had popped into his head into a strip of space between previous masterpieces.  By the time he finished, it really was time for dessert, and she sent him to retrieve the carton of ice cream from the freezer, along with bowls and spoons.  </p>
<p>"Can we have chocolate sauce?" he asked as Lexa dragged the coffee table closer so she could reach to scoop the ice cream into bowls.  "And sprinkles?  And whipped cream?"</p>
<p>"Have I ever said no to sprinkles?" she asked.  </p>
<p>He dashed off and brought back everything necessary to turn their bowls of ice cream into proper sundaes.  Lexa put on one of their favorite shows to watch together and they dug in, eating probably more than was good for them, but there was just a little bit of ice cream left anyway, and it seemed easier to just eat it than have Aden put it back.  </p>
<p>When everything was put away again, and Lexa had wiped all the sticky spots Aden had missed from his cheeks and around his mouth, he wormed his way onto the couch with her, twisting and squirming until he was comfortably wedged into the sliver of space between her and the edge of the couch.  She shifted as much as her injuries allowed to give him a little bit more room, but he only pressed closer.  </p>
<p>"Hey bud," she said, settling him against her and folding her arms around him.  </p>
<p>He was quiet, his eyes fixed on the TV, and Lexa didn't push.  She knew her accident had rattled him, and seeing her not able to do all the things she normally could had to be unsettling, but they hadn't really talked about it.  Maybe he didn't need to talk.  Maybe he just needed to be near her, to reassure himself that she was there and she wasn't going anywhere.  </p>
<p>And if she was being honest, maybe she needed it too.  Ever since she'd met him when he was barely more than a baby, she'd loved the moments when he would climb on her and snuggle up, and she knew they probably only had a few more years left before he would decide he was too old for such things, so she planned to enjoy it while it lasted.  </p>
<p>The show switched over to commercial and Lexa's focus drifted.  After a moment Aden twisted around to face her.  "Dad?"  </p>
<p>She looked down at him, all wide-eyed seriousness.  "What's up, bud?"  </p>
<p>"Are you and Mom going to get married now?  So you can be my real dad?"</p>
<p>Lexa's heart knocked against her ribcage, and for a second she forgot how to breathe.  They hadn't said anything to Aden, not explicitly, but obviously he'd noticed when they'd started holding hands and kissing sometimes.  (Which he was okay with, as long as they didn't do it <i>too</i> much where he had to see.)  He hadn't asked any questions about it; maybe it had just seemed natural to him.  After all, that's what moms and dads did.  Maybe he thought they'd just been hiding it from him up until now.  </p>
<p>"Would you like that?" she asked, her voice gone raspy with emotion.</p>
<p>He nodded.  "Mom would too."  </p>
<p>"You think so?"</p>
<p>Aden rolled his eyes.  "<i>Obviously</i>," he said.  </p>
<p>"Obviously," Lexa echoed, smiling.  "When do you think I should ask?"</p>
<p>Aden shrugged.  "Well first you have to get a ring," he said.  "And I guess you'll have to wait until your legs are better because you have to be able to get on your knees and you are <i>definitely</i> not doing that with a cast on."  </p>
<p>Lexa pressed her lips together.  "That's a very good point."</p>
<p>"But after that you should ask," Aden said.  "So we can all be a family forever and ever."  </p>
<p>"Sounds good to me," Lexa said.  </p>
<p>Aden snuggled a little closer.  "Me too.  That's why I said it."  </p>
<p>The show came back on and he turned back around so he could see the screen.  </p>
<p>When Clarke got home a few hours later, Lexa waved from the couch, answering Clarke's raised eyebrows with a shrug and a sheepish look as she smoothed Aden's hair where his head rested on her chest, a growing puddle of drool staining her shirt.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Once the idea was in her head, Lexa couldn't stop thinking about it, and the persistent daydream of getting down on one knee with a ring in her hands was a very sparkly carrot (no pun intended... or maybe a little bit intended) to dangle in front of herself when her cast was finally removed and she went from being the next closest thing to a shut-in to having physical therapy nearly every day.</p>
<p>The sessions got both easier and harder as they progressed, and her physical therapist had to remind her frequently that she wasn't just going to get back to normal all at once, and she needed to focus on the small victories, as well as the end goal.  </p>
<p>"Small victories," she grunted, white-knuckled as she gripped the bannister on the small set of steps she'd been going up and down for the last ten minutes, hating how wobbly she still was.  She hadn't attempted the stairs at home yet, but along with the potential proposal, being able to go up and take a proper shower and sleep in her own bed (or maybe not in her own bed, but she tried not to let herself dwell on that thought for too long...) were at the top of her list of things that made the grueling, often painful sessions worthwhile. </p>
<p>"All right," the therapist said.  "That's enough for today."  He rolled over her wheelchair (which she couldn't wait to get rid of; Aden was less enthusiastic about its eventual loss) and she collapsed into it.  She could manage crutches for short periods of time, but PT tended to leave her feeling wrung-out and limp as a ragdoll.  She grabbed a few paper towels and wet them, draping them over the back of her neck to cool herself off while she waited for her ride.</p>
<p>"Thanks for doing this," she said as Lincoln folded the chair and hefted it into the back of his car.  </p>
<p>"What are friends for?" he asked.  He shut the trunk and slipped into the driver's seat.  "Home, or is there somewhere else you need to go?"</p>
<p>"Home," she said.  "I need to—"  She wrinkled her nose.  She needed to shower, but that was a production she didn't want to involve Lincoln in.  "Change," she finished.  "I'm gross."</p>
<p>"Okay."  He backed out of the parking space and headed for home.  Once there, he helped her into the house, and waited in the living room while she sponged herself off and changed, just in case anything happened and she needed help.  When she was done, she used her crutches to limp back into the living room.  He looked up from his phone and smiled.  "Anything else you need?"</p>
<p>She shook her head, then frowned, and his smile started to fade.  "What's wrong?" he asked.  </p>
<p>She sank down onto the couch next to him.  "Aden asked if Clarke and I are going to get married," she said.  </p>
<p>Lincoln's face lit up, and it was so like Aden's little-boy grin that Lexa almost laughed.  "Well?  Are you?"</p>
<p>"I'm thinking about it," Lexa said.  "Proposing, I mean."  </p>
<p>"What's there to think about?" Lincoln asked.  "You two have been practically married since the day you moved in together."</p>
<p>"We have not," Lexa scoffed.  "Have we?"</p>
<p>Lincoln cocked his head, his eyebrows going up.  "Really?  You need to ask?"</p>
<p>"... Yes?"  </p>
<p>Lincoln laughed.  "Well, let's see.  How long have you lived together?"</p>
<p>"Five years," Lexa said.  "Ish."</p>
<p>"Right.  So you know you can cohabitate.  Do you share finances?"</p>
<p>"No," Lexa said.  "I mean, we did set up a joint checking account to pay the rent and bills and groceries and stuff out of, but we just transfer money into that from our own accounts."  </p>
<p>Lincoln snorted.  "And how, exactly, is that not sharing finances?"  Lexa fixed him with a glare, and he shook his head and moved on.  "Who does the chores?"</p>
<p>"Right now?  Mostly Clarke, but I do what I can."  Now that she was more mobile, she was doing her best to pull her weight... or more than her weight, to make up for everything she hadn't been able to do, and that Clarke had had to do for her, while she was largely incapacitated.  It had earned her more than one lecture about not overdoing it, and how she didn't owe Clarke anything, and how Clarke knew Lexa would do the same for her if the roles were reversed.  </p>
<p>"But when you're not encased in plaster from the hip down, or on crutches, who does the chores?"</p>
<p>"We both do," Lexa said.  "But that's just being a good housemate!"  </p>
<p>Lincoln tipped his head, and Lexa took it to mean he was conceding the point.  "When you get groceries, do you buy food together, or do you each get your own food?  And who does the cooking?"</p>
<p>"Together," Lexa said.  "At first we shopped separately, but after a while we realized it didn't make sense.  We had duplicates of so many things just cluttering up the cupboards and fridge.  So we started making a joint list, and one or the other of us will go to the store.  Sometimes we go together, but that usually involves bringing Aden, which is... an adventure.  Sometimes there are things that are mine or hers – or Aden's – but as long as we ask, we don't mind sharing.  And we both do the cooking.  Usually whoever gets home first gets dinner started, and on weekends we'll cook together, or whoever did less of the cooking during the week will step up."</p>
<p>Lincoln nodded.  "Which reminds me.  What is it that Aden calls you?"</p>
<p>Lexa scowled, knowing where this was going, what he was getting at.  He looked at her expectantly, and finally she muttered, "Dad."</p>
<p>"Right.  Dad.  Clarke's son, who you have lived with since he was what, two?  Who has never met his biological father, and who won't remember a time in his life that you weren't in it, calls you Dad."</p>
<p>"Only sometimes," Lexa said.  "And he's joking."  <i>Mostly</i>.</p>
<p>"Is he?" Lincoln asked.  </p>
<p>Lexa took the question to be rhetorical and didn't answer.  Because she knew Lincoln knew as well as she did what the answer was.  Aden had as much as said it when he asked if she and Clarke were going to get married.  </p>
<p>"Just a few more questions," Lincoln said.  </p>
<p>"What are you, a lawyer now?" Lexa asked.  "Your mother would be so proud." </p>
<p>"Nah, she wanted me to be a doctor," Lincoln joked.  "First question: when you have free time, who are you most likely to spend it with?"</p>
<p>Lexa sighed.  "Clarke."  </p>
<p>"And who do you most <i>want</i> to spend it with?" Lincoln asked.  </p>
<p>"Clarke," Lexa answered.  "She's my best friend."</p>
<p>"Exactly.  So to recap, you live with your best friend, share household expenses, chores, food, etcetera.  You take care of each other in sickness and in health... and her son calls you Dad.  How, exactly, are you not married in all but law?"</p>
<p>"It's only been a couple of months," Lexa said.  "We haven't even—"  Her cheeks flushed and she bit her lip.</p>
<p>Lincoln didn't need her to fill in the blank.  "So what?" he asked.  "Some people wait until after marriage to," he cleared his throat, his eyes twinkling with mirth, "<i>consummate</i> the relationship."</p>
<p>"We're not those people," Lexa said.  </p>
<p>"Do you really think it will change anything?" Lincoln asked.  "For anything but the better?"</p>
<p>Lexa couldn't meet his eyes.  No, she didn't.  They hadn't done much more than kiss, but she was sure that when they finally did, it would be everything she hadn't dared dream of, and more.  How could it not be, when they loved each other as much as they did, for as long as they had?  </p>
<p>"Anyway, just because you get engaged doesn't mean you have to get married right away.  Weddings take time to plan, right?"</p>
<p>"I guess?"  Lexa hadn't really thought about that side of it, and she and Clarke had never talked about it.  Why would they?  She didn't know if Clarke would want a big wedding, or just a few of their closest friends and family, or maybe just the two of them at the courthouse, signing on the dotted line.  Hell, she didn't know what <i>she</i> wanted... except for Clarke – and Aden – to be hers.  </p>
<p>"Seriously, Lexa," Lincoln said.  "What do you have to lose?"</p>
<p>She looked up.  "Everything," she said.  "I could lose everything."</p>
<p>Lincoln shook his head.  "You won't.  Even if she says no—"  Lexa's stomach clenched at the thought, and Lincoln reached out and put his hand on her knee, squeezing.  "Even if she says no – and I don't think she will – it won't be no to you.  It'll be no to now.  It'll be, 'I'm not ready.  Not yet.'  In which case, you wait and ask again when the time feels right.  What's six months, or a year, when you've already waited five?"</p>
<p>Lexa knew he was right.  But now that she'd finally allowed the seed Aden had planted to take root, she didn't want to have to wait any longer than she had to for the flower to sprout and blossom.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Lexa finally got the all-clear from her medical team to drive again, she immediately texted Clarke with the good news.</p><p><b>Lexa:</b> Guess who is finally allowed back behind the wheel?<br/>
<b>Lexa:</b> This girl, that's who!</p><p>Clarke texted back almost immediately.  Lexa knew she always kept her phone nearby just in case anything came up with Aden during the day, and she'd gotten even more diligent about it after Lexa's accident.  </p><p><b>Clarke:</b> Congrats, babe!  😘<br/>
<b>Clarke:</b> 🚗💨🎉</p><p>Lexa laughed at the string of emojis, which made it seem like Aden was the one texting instead of Clarke.  She could always tell when Clarke let him have her phone, because he much preferred long strings of (often nonsensical) tiny pictures to words.  </p><p>Butterflies stretched their wings in her stomach as she tapped out her next message.</p><p><b>Lexa:</b> Can I pick Aden up from school today?  I want to surprise him.</p><p>Again, Clarke's response was quick.</p><p><b>Clarke:</b> Of course, love.  I'll call the school to let them know.</p><p>Lexa was on the list of people approved to pick Aden up; she had been since his daycare days, just in case.  But it was always better to give them a heads up.</p><p><b>Clarke:</b> He'll be so excited.  </p><p><b>Lexa:</b> He's not the only one!</p><p>She imagined Clarke smiling down at her phone as she typed, and she smiled in response, fidgeting in her seat as she waited for a message to pop up.</p><p><b>Clarke:</b> I'll get pizza on the way home to celebrate.  </p><p><b>Lexa:</b> Sounds good.  See you later 🐊.  😘💗</p><p><b>Clarke:</b> 😂<br/>
<b>Clarke:</b> Later, love.  😘</p><p>Lexa pressed her hand to her chest, rubbing her sternum, and took a deep breath to ease the ache there.  Her Lyft driver pulled up – everyone was at work except her today – and she had him drop her at home, where she made the long, laborious trek upstairs to the bathroom.  Even though she was a thousand times better than she had been when she first got her cast off, she was still glad for the shower stool Clarke had acquired, which allowed her to sit while she washed her hair and scrubbed herself with her favorite shower gel – which was mostly her favorite because every time she used it Clarke would lean in close and tell her she smelled good.  Which in hindsight maybe should have been a clue, because friends didn't sniff friends, did they?  </p><p>When she was done she wrapped herself in a towel and padded down the hall to her room, which she hadn't been in in months now.  She expected everything to be covered in a fine layer of dust, but when she looked around, it was spotless.  Everything was clean and in its place, tidier than she'd left it.  She pressed her lips together and swallowed the lump that rose in her throat.  She would have to thank Clarke later.</p><p>She dressed in her favorite jeans, which felt strange after months of pajamas, sweatpants, and leggings, and a flannel Clarke had given her for Christmas this past year, or maybe the year before.  She braided back her hair, trying to dry the ends with her towel so she wouldn't have a giant wet spot on her back, but it was probably a lost cause.  She considered putting on some make-up, but a glance at the clock told her she needed to get on the road in the next few minutes if she didn't want to be the last car in the parent pick-up line.  So she just swiped on some chapstick and called it a day, picking her way carefully down the stairs to avoid any chance of a mishap.</p><p>Getting into the driver's seat of her car felt strange too, but also familiar, and once she turned the key in the ignition and put the car in gear, everything clicked back into place.  It was like riding a bike... not that she would be riding any bikes again any time soon.  Her motorcycle had been totaled in the accident, and she didn't think she would get much support if she so much as considered replacing it.  No, her next bike would probably be of the 10-speed variety, and even that might take a while before she was road-ready.  </p><p>When she got to the school, Aden was waiting outside looking slightly confused, because usually he stayed for after care until Clarke was done with work.  When Lexa leaned over so he could see her through the passenger's side window and waved, his face split in a grin, and he ran to the car, yanking the door open and crawling inside.  His backpack hit the steering wheel as he tried to cram himself into her lap and the horn blasted, startling them both and earning Lexa a dirty look from several of the other parents.  </p><p>She waved an apology.  "You have to sit in the back, buddy," she said, after she'd given Aden a good long squeeze.  </p><p>"I know," he sighed.  "But I just needed to hug you first."  </p><p>"I appreciate it," Lexa said, and meant it.  </p><p>Once Aden was settled in the back seat, and Lexa had checked to make sure his seatbelt was securely fastened (even though he wasn't a baby, <i>Dad</i>, he <i>knew</i> how to buckle him<i>self</i>), she eased the car away from the curb.  When she got to the end of the school's driveway, she turned left, and Aden's eyes snapped to hers in the rearview mirror.  "You're going the wrong way," he told her.</p><p>"Am I?" she asked.  </p><p>"Home is the other way," he said, pointing in case it wasn't clear.  </p><p>"Oh, is it?" she asked, doing her best to keep a straight face.</p><p>His eyes narrowed.  "Where are you taking me?" he asked.  "Did Mom forget to tell me I have to go to the doctor or something?"  His eyes widened.  "Oh no!  Don't tell me it's the dentist!"  His tone was so anguished, Lexa couldn't take it, and she broke.</p><p>"No dentist," she said.  "No doctor, either.  I need your help on a very important errand."</p><p>Aden still looked dubious.  "Is it <i>boring</i>?" </p><p>"I don't think so," Lexa said.</p><p>"Is it ice cream?" he asked, hopeful now.  </p><p>"It's not ice cream," she said.  </p><p>He sank back into his seat with a melodramatic pout.  "Darn."</p><p>"But if you're good, maybe there could be ice cream after," she said, and watched him perk right back up, straightening up to show her his very best posture (or the best posture one could manage strapped into the back seat of a car) and flashing her what she was sure was meant to be a charming smile.  (And it was, but then she thought pretty much all of his expressions were charming.)  She smiled back at him in the mirror and wound her way through the streets to their destination.  </p><p>Aden slipped his hand into hers as they approached the store, pressing himself tighter against her side when she opened the door and they were immediately accosted by a sales associate who didn't look entirely thrilled to see a child in a room full of glass cases.  "How can I help you today?" she asked.</p><p>Lexa smoothed Aden's hair and rubbed his back reassuringly.  "I'd like to look at engagement rings," she said.  "I'm going to ask his mom to marry me."  </p><p>The associate looked from Lexa to Aden and back again, a slow smile curving her lips.  "Of course," she said.  "Right this way."  She set off toward one of the cases at a brisk pace, clearly expecting them to follow.  "What did you have in mind?"</p><p>But when Lexa started to follow her, Aden didn't budge.  Lexa looked down at him, and he was staring up at her like he suddenly didn't know who she was.  "What is it, buddy?" she asked, muscles protesting a little as she crouched down to his level.  "What's wrong?"</p><p>"Really?" he asked.  "You're really going to ask Mom to marry you?"</p><p>"Yes," Lexa said.  "I am."  </p><p>"And you're really going to be my real dad?"</p><p>Lexa had to fight to keep a straight face, because she knew his definition was different from what most people would think, and she couldn't help picturing the looks on people's faces if he announced she was his 'real dad'.  "As long as she says yes," she told him.  </p><p>"She will," Aden said.  "I know she will.  She <i>has</i> to!"  He threw his arms around Lexa, almost knocking her onto her butt in the process, but she managed to stay upright, holding him until he'd gotten the little hitches of his breath under control.  </p><p>"That's why I need you to help me pick out the perfect ring," she told him.  "Do you think you can do that?"</p><p>He wiped at his eyes and sniffed.  "I <i>know</i> I can."</p>
<hr/><p>Lexa flipped open the little black velvet box, turning it so the stones caught the light.  She and Aden had pored over every ring in the store, it had felt like, before finally deciding on the one she now held.  The one that would – if everything went the way she hoped – soon be on Clarke's finger.  She had been drawn to it almost immediately – it was simple but elegant, not so showy as to be ostentatious, but showy enough to catch the eye.  It was a statement, a declaration, a promise, and when Aden had finally declared it the winner, Lexa had hugged him tight and hoped his assurance that Clarke would definitely say yes was true.  </p><p>She heard footsteps on the stairs – she was still sleeping in the dining room, hating it more and more every night – and quickly slipped the box into her pocket.  Clarke appeared in the doorway a minute later.  "Is Aden ready?"</p><p>Lexa grinned.  "Is he ever," she said.  She'd paid extra to have the shop put a rush on the minor adjustments she'd requested for the ring, knowing Aden wouldn't be able to keep the impending proposal a secret for very long.  She'd picked up the ring yesterday, and today – within the next few hours – she would ask the most important question of her life.  </p><p>Not that Clarke knew that.  As far as she knew, this was just a trip to the park to let Aden run around, maybe kick the ball around with Lexa for a while.  Maybe Clarke would even join in, despite her claim that she was the least athletic person in the world.  </p><p>"Aden!" Lexa called.  "Time to go!"  </p><p>"<i>Finally</i>!" he said, leading the way out to Lexa's car.  They piled in, and Clarke got the same eye-rolling treatment when she double-checked he was buckled in that Lexa had.  "Where is the <i>trust</i>?" he demanded, making them both laugh.  </p><p>"Where...?" Clarke started to ask as Lexa drove right past the park closest to their house, but Lexa just reached for her hand, bringing it to her lips and kissing her knuckles.  Clarke shook her head slightly, but let the question go, trusting that Lexa knew where she was going.  </p><p>Trusting Lexa, full stop.  </p><p>At least Lexa hoped so.  </p><p>She pulled into the lot of park that was near the college they'd attended, the one they'd visited on their first date that wasn't a date.  The pre-date that hadn't even been that, because once Lexa knew Clarke had a kid, it had seemed... if not impossible, at least unlikely.  The one where their acquaintance had begun to blossom into true friendship even so.  </p><p>Clarke smiled.  "Oh," she said softly.  Lexa leaned over and kissed her lightly, and Aden refrained from making grossed-out noises.  </p><p>They climbed out of the car and headed for the playground, where Aden was now too big to want them to push him on the swings, and didn't need their help ascending the ladder to the top of the slide, nor did he expect them to be waiting for him at the bottom (although sometimes they were anyway).  He rallied some of the other kids into a game of tag – or something like tag, except the rules seemed to be more complicated and changed frequently.  Clarke and Lexa sat on a bench in the shade, shoulder to shoulder and hip to hip, their fingers laced together, and watched him play... when they weren't watching each other out of the corners of their eyes, and blushing and laughing every time they got caught in the act.</p><p>As it got closer to lunchtime, the number of kids started to dwindle, and Aden finally came back to them, sweaty and a little grass-stained, and threw his arms around Clarke.  "Mom, I'm <i>starving</i>!" he declared.  </p><p>"I guess we'd better head home then," Clarke said.  </p><p>"Actually..."  Lexa bit her lip, then motioned for them to follow, over a little hill to where a blanket had been spread out in the sun-dappled space beneath a tree, a feast of all their favorite picnic foods – some of them from that first meal together, others they'd discovered in the years since – laid out for them.  Lexa looked up and saw Lincoln already retreating.  He flashed her a smile and a thumbs up and headed for his car, his role in the magic moment Lexa was trying to create fulfilled.</p><p>"When...?  How...?"  Clarke followed Lexa's gaze, but Lincoln had already disappeared.  "What's going on?" she asked.  </p><p>"Come on, Mom," Aden said.  "I'm hungry!"  </p><p>"Okay, kiddo," she said, still suspicious but willing to go along with it... for now.  She sat down on one corner of the blanket and helped Aden fill his plate, then filled her own and sat back.  "This brings back memories," she said.  "We used to come here all the time."</p><p>"I know," Lexa said.  "You remember the time we thought we lost Aden?"</p><p>Clarke groaned.  "How could I forget?  I was <i>terrified</i>."  </p><p>"You <i>lost</i> me?" Aden asked, the words garbled by his mouthful of food.  At Clarke's disapproving scowl, he quickly finished chewing and swallowed.  "You lost me?" he repeated.  </p><p>"No," Lexa said, reaching out to poke him in the side.  "You lost yourself."</p><p>"How could I lose myself?" Aden asked.  "I was a baby!"</p><p>"Well," Lexa said.  "You decided you were going to play hide-and-seek.  The trouble is you didn't tell <i>us</i> we were playing.  You just hid, and the next thing we knew, we couldn't find you anywhere.  One minute you were there, the next you were gone."  </p><p>"But you found me," Aden said.  </p><p>"Of course we found you," Lexa said.  "Thankfully before Mom called the police to report that you'd been kidnapped."  </p><p>Clarke grimaced.  "I may have overreacted," she admitted.  "Slightly.  But he was so little, and—"</p><p>"I know, love," Lexa said, squeezing her knee gently.  "I'm sure I would have done the same thing in your position."</p><p>"But you didn't," Clarke said.  "You were so calm, so collected.  Not like you didn't care, just... you were sure everything was going to be okay.  You were so confident you even made me believe it."  </p><p>"Where was I?" Aden asked.</p><p>"In the tunnel on the playground," Lexa said.  "Taking a nap like you didn't have a care in the world."  </p><p>"Oops," Aden said, but he was grinning.  </p><p>"Yeah, oops," Clarke said, reaching out to ruffle his hair.  "I barely let you out of my sight for three days.  You slept in my bed with me.  I even took you to one of my classes!"  </p><p>"Did I learn anything?" Aden asked.</p><p>Lexa snickered.  "You learned to tell us when you wanted to play hide-and-seek, that's for sure!"  </p><p>Aden grinned and took another huge bite of his sandwich, and for a while they were all quiet as they ate.  </p><p>"Make sure to save room for dessert," Lexa said, not to Aden specifically, but he seemed to pick up on the fact that there was something significant about dessert and started eating faster to get to it quicker, until he nearly choked.  Clarke rubbed his back and reminded him that dessert wasn't going anywhere, and he could still take the time to chew.  </p><p>Finally, their stomachs were full – probably too full for dessert right away, but Lexa knew neither she nor Aden could wait any longer.  She gestured to the little cooler that was holding down the corner of the blanket closest to Clarke.  "Can you get it, love?" she asked.  </p><p>Clarke picked up the cooler and set it between them.  When Lexa didn't reach for it, she opened the lid herself and looked inside.  Her forehead furrowed, her brows drawing together, and Lexa felt her heart trip over itself, a wave of ice rushing through her and wrapping itself around her stomach.  Clarke lifted out the little velvet box that was perched right at the top.  "What's this?" she asked.</p><p>"Why don't you open it and find out?" Lexa suggested, shifting onto one hip to get her legs under her.  </p><p>"Open it, Mom!" Aden urged, and Clarke's frown deepened.  There was really only one type of thing that came in a box like this, and Lexa could practically see her formulating arguments about why they shouldn't have, there were so many things that were more useful than jewelry, she didn't need—</p><p>Clarke flipped open the lid and froze.  Slowly – so slowly – she turned and looked at Lexa, her eyes wide, her lips parted as she tried to form a question she didn't know how to ask.  </p><p>Lexa rose to one knee as she eased the box from Clarke's grip and took out the ring, then took Clarke's left hand in her own.  "Clarke Griffin, will you marry me?"</p><p>For a second, Clarke didn't move.  Lexa wasn't sure she breathed.  Then – just like her son a few days before – she threw herself into Lexa's arms, nearly toppling them both.  Her response came in a gasp pressed against Lexa's throat – "Yes!" – and was immediately followed by a strangled sob she couldn't quite hold back.  </p><p>Lexa's own eyes stung and flooded as she pressed her face into Clarke's shoulder, and they clung to each other and the moment – this perfect moment – that marked the beginning of the life they'd both dreamed of and yet didn't dare let themselves hope for.  </p><p>When they'd both managed to catch their breath and slow their tears, Clarke turned, her shoulder digging into Lexa's chest, and held out her shaking hand.  Lexa slipped the ring onto her finger, and Aden cheered, throwing his arms up in victory, as they kissed.</p>
<hr/><p>"Mom and Dad are getting married!" he told Abby as soon as they pulled up in front of her house and she stepped out to greet them.  "Dad proposed and Mom said yes and they're getting <i>married</i>!"</p><p>"Congratulations!" Abby said, not letting on that she'd already known about the proposal.  She held out her arms, probably to Clarke but Aden got there first.  Clarke laughed and waited her turn, accepting her mother's embrace, smiling at whatever Abby whispered into her ear that Lexa didn't catch.  </p><p>Now that she was going to be family – not that she hadn't been family for years now – Lexa knew her own hug was coming, and there was no way of getting out of it.  Not that she wanted to.  She leaned in as Abby's arms tightened around her.  "I'm so happy for you both," Abby told her.  "I couldn't ask for a better wife for my daughter, or a better father for my grandson."  She smiled as she let Lexa go, and Lexa surreptitiously wiped at the corner of her eye.  </p><p>They followed her inside, where Clarke recounted her version of the proposal (with frequent interjections from Aden), her grip on Lexa's hand not loosening the entire time.  Abby's eyes shone, and it was clear that her words to Lexa weren't just lip service.  She was genuinely thrilled by them taking this next step, and didn't seem bothered in the slightest that it came only a few months after Lexa's heart monitor had declared her feelings for Clarke to anyone who cared to listen.  </p><p>"It's probably too soon to start asking about wedding plans," Abby said.  </p><p>Clarke looked at Lexa and gave a small shrug, accompanied by the smile Lexa knew Clarke reserved only for her.  "We haven't had a chance to talk about it," she said.  "But..."</p><p>Lexa looked at her, trying to keep panic from getting its claws into her.  "But?"</p><p>"I like the idea of a summer wedding," Clarke said, her voice tipping up just enough at the end to make it almost a question.  Because school would be over in just a few weeks, which didn't give them much time to plan, and maybe she worried Lexa would think she was rushing things.  </p><p>"Me too," Lexa said, ducking her head to press a kiss to Clarke's shoulder.  </p><p>"Me three," Aden said, climbing into their laps and cuddling into the space between them that wasn't really big enough for a seven-year-old boy, but they made room for him anyway.  </p><p>They visited for a while longer before smothering Aden with hugs and kisses until he was begging them to leave so he and Gramma could enjoy their sleepover without any more gross mushy stuff.  Clarke held Lexa's hand the entire drive home, except when she absolutely needed it to execute a turn.  When they stepped inside, they both looked around, then at each other, and Lexa knew Clarke was thinking and feeling the same thing she was: nothing and everything had changed.</p><p>Clarke looked down at the ring on her finger and shook her head.  "I can't believe..."  </p><p>"<i>I</i> can't believe Aden managed to keep it a secret," Lexa said.  "I was <i>sure</i> he was going to say something.  He wouldn't mean to, of course, but..."  </p><p>Clarke smiled.  "It's perfect," she said, looking at the ring again, a single diamond bracketed by smaller aquamarines: Aden's birthstone.  "I never thought..."  She trailed off, then wrapped her arms around Lexa's neck and pulled her down into a kiss.  "I love you so much," she whispered.  "After the accident I—"  The words lodged in her throat and she shook her head.  </p><p>"I know," Lexa said softly.  "Sitting in that hospital bed... I knew I couldn't wait any longer.  Every day I waited was another day wasted, and I just... I had to take the chance.  Even if you said no—"</p><p>Clarke kissed her again.  "I was never going to say no.  Not then, not now.  I just wish I'd said something sooner, or you had, or—"</p><p>Lexa's forehead rocked against Clarke's her nose brushing.  "None of that," she said.  "No regrets.  We're here now.  We're together now.  So I choose to believe that everything is happening exactly how and when it's meant to."</p><p>Clarke nodded, sighing and letting go of some of the tension she still – and perpetually – carried.  "You're really okay with a summer wedding?" she asked.  "I meant – I mean – this summer."</p><p>"I know," Lexa said, "and yes.  If you said you wanted to go to the courthouse tomorrow, I would ask, 'What time do you want to get there?'  All I want is to be with you, and for you – and Aden – to be happy.  Whether that means we get married in three weeks or three months or three years.  I'm in."</p><p>Clarke's teeth dug into her lip as she looked up at Lexa again.  "Aden," she said.  </p><p>"Asked me if we were going to get married so I could be his real dad," Lexa said.    </p><p>Clarke's lip turned white as she bit down harder, and Lexa leaned down to loosen her grip on it with her own lips.  "Do you want that?" Clarke asked, the words coming out in a rush of breath against Lexa's cheek.</p><p>"Yes," Lexa said.  "You two are a package deal, and I want it all.  I know it might be complicated, but whatever we need to do—"  </p><p>Clarke had told her a little about how she'd ended up a mother at seventeen, but she'd never gone into detail and Lexa had never asked.  As far as Lexa was concerned, Clarke was not only surviving but thriving – with the help of her mom and the friends who had stuck by her – as a single parent, and it had seemed pointless, if not cruel, to make her dredge up the past she'd clearly moved on from.</p><p>"It won't be," Clarke said.  "His father – biological father – made it very clear he wasn't interested when I told him he was going to have a son.  And I was – I mean, I was freaked out, obviously – but I already knew we weren't good for each other, long-term, so I just accepted it and moved on.  His name isn't even on Aden's birth certificate.  So there's nothing that would stand in the way of you adopting him.  If... if that's what you wanted."</p><p>"Is it what <i>you</i> want?" Lexa asked.  She hadn't considered until that moment the possibility that Clarke might not want that aspect of things to change.  </p><p>She should have known better.</p><p>Clarke's mouth met hers even as she nodded.  "You're his Dad," she said.  "You should be his father, too."</p>
<hr/><p>Lexa wasn't sure which of them moved toward the stairs first.  Their ascent was slow, not because of any linger effects of the accident, but because they stopped on nearly every step to kiss, mouths meeting and parting with gasps and giggles in between as they clumsily tripped their way to the top.  The doorway to Clarke's room was right at the top of the stairs, and it was there that Clarke steered Lexa as soon as they were both on solid ground.  </p><p>Lexa had been in there plenty of times before, to talk or watch movies or to check on Clarke when she was sick or having a bad day, but this was the first time they'd been in the room together as more than friends.  The butterflies she'd thought had flown when Clarke had said yes earlier began to flap again, and Lexa nearly tripped over her own feet.  </p><p>"Careful," Clarke said, her eyes bright.  "Wouldn't want you getting hurt."</p><p>"Again," Lexa said.</p><p>"Again," Clarke agreed.  Her hand dropped to Lexa's hip, the one that had been pinned pack together, and her thumb dipped below the waistband of her pants, tracing over one of Lexa's scars and sending goosebumps racing down her leg.  "You know," she said, "it's a miracle you recovered as well as you did."</p><p>Lexa swallowed, trying to follow Clarke's train of thought, which was increasingly difficult as Clarke slid down to her knees, making sure Lexa felt the press of her body all the way down.  "Oh?"  It came out a squeak.</p><p>"Mm-hmm," Clarke said.  She popped the button on Lexa's jeans and eased down the zipper, and Lexa suddenly felt as shaky as she had the first time she'd walked after having her cast removed.  </p><p>"W-Why?" she stammered, reaching out to steady herself on Clarke's dresser as Clarke peeled her jeans, and her underwear with them, down her hips, just an inch, and then another.  </p><p>"Because," Clarke said, looking up at her with her lips curved in a smirk.  Her breath gusted against Lexa's belly and Lexa felt herself clench around the sudden sharp ache between her legs.  "I never kissed it to make it better."  </p><p>Lexa's fingers tightened on the dresser as Clarke's lips brushed the skin stretched taut over her hipbone, planting a kiss on each of the scars there, sliding Lexa's jeans down farther to make sure she hadn't missed any.  Lexa's knees wobbled, and she reached down to pull Clarke up to her before she got any ideas about other things she could do while she was down there that Lexa's still occasionally imperfect balance definitely couldn't handle.  </p><p>When their lips met again, it was a kiss like none of the ones they'd shared up to that point.  While Lexa was still injured, the kisses had been tender, loving, occasionally passionate, but there had been caution in them, too, lines they weren't ready – physically and maybe emotionally – to cross.  Even when she was recovering, they'd held back.  </p><p>They weren't holding back anymore.  Not either of them.  The lines were gone, erased like they'd never existed, and they fumbled with buttons and zippers and hooks as they tried to undress each other without breaking the kiss.  It didn't work, of course, and they laughed as they pulled apart and came back together with one less layer between them, until there were no more layers to remove.  </p><p>"Oh," Lexa breathed, as hips and thighs and bellies and breasts suddenly came into contact all at once.  "Oh."  </p><p>They crawled into the bed, and for the first time Lexa was glad Clarke rarely (read: never) bothered to make her bed except right after changing the sheets, because it meant they didn't have to fuss and fumble to not risk staining the bedspread.  </p><p>There was a moment, when they were stretched out side-by-side and face-to-face, where they both paused, just looking at each other.  Lexa felt her eyes start to sting, and an answering wetness in Clarke's eyes, and they reached for each other at the same time to brush the threatening tears away.  "I love you," Lexa whispered, her lips brushing Clarke's lashes.</p><p>"I love you," Clarke answered, her mouth tracing the line of Lexa's jaw.  </p><p>"I love you," and "I love you," and "I love you," they whispered as they touched each other with trembling hands in all the places they were already familiar with, and then in all the places they were just beginning to learn.  </p><p>Lexa learned the weight of Clarke's breasts in her hands, and the exquisite sensitivity of her nipples beneath the brush of her fingers and then her lips.  She learned the drag of Clarke's short nails up her inner thigh was enough to bow her back away from the mattress... and that Clarke derived an unholy amount of pleasure from demonstrating that fact over and over.  They learned the changes in each other's breathing when they found just the right place, and pace, and pressure, and they learned how to turn that into music, a duet of sharp inhales and slow exhales, of sucked in pleas and sighed out cries.  </p><p>They learned that they could hold back, or hold each other back, so when they finally reached climax it was at the same moment, in the same breath, or close enough to that it made no difference.  </p><p>They learned that it was okay to laugh, and it was okay to cry, too, and they would hold each other through it, all of it, and after.  </p><p>"I love you," Clarke whispered, her lips brushing the nape of Lexa's neck as she twined around her, her breasts pressed into Lexa's back, and Lexa was sure she could feel the beat of Clarke's heart against her spine.</p><p>"If you love me so much, you should marry me," Lexa drawled sleepily, smiling at the schoolyard taunt.  </p><p>Clarke laughed and kissed her neck again as her arm slid around Lexa, lacing her fingers and their sparkling promise through Lexa's and bringing their joined hands up to Lexa's heart.  "You know what?" she said.  "I think I will."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Who knew so much went into planning a wedding?" Lexa said, pinching the bridge of her nose, right between her eyes where a headache was starting to form.  Or maybe it had never really left.  Her return to work full-time, which just happened to coincide with the end of school for Aden and the scheduling chaos that inevitably ensued, left her exhausted by dinner.  Now, with Aden tucked into bed (where he would hopefully <i>stay</i> this time), they were trying to make a list of everything they needed to do before the wedding.</p>
<p>"Everyone?" Clarke said, her tone teasing.  </p>
<p>Lexa looked at her and scowled.  "Not everyone is a TLC addict like you," she said.  </p>
<p>"It's not <i>all</i> TLC," Clarke said.  "And anyway, you liked Drag Me Down the Aisle too!"  </p>
<p>"That one gets a pass," Lexa admitted.  She leaned a little closer, her lips twisting as she fought back a smile.  "So what you're saying is, we need to recruit some drag queens to plan this thing for us?"</p>
<p>Clarke laughed.  "As awesome as that would be, I suspect they're all booked months in advance.  And we don't have months."  Her smile drooped a little, and Lexa instinctively reached for her hand.  She knew what Clarke was thinking: it wasn't technically true.  They had as long as they wanted, or needed.  But they were discovering that not only were the two things not the same, but they might be completely incompatible.  </p>
<p>Clarke laced her fingers through Lexa's, her ring digging into Lexa's fingers as she squeezed.  "The courthouse is looking more and more tempting by the minute," she said.  "Sign a form, pay a fee, 'I do,' 'I do,' done."  </p>
<p>Lexa wrapped her free arm around Clarke, pulling her in and pressing a kiss to her hair when her head tipped onto Lexa's shoulder.  "If that's what you want," she said, "we can do that."  </p>
<p>"It's not," Clarke said.  "I mean—"  She shook her head.  "I don't know.  I don't know what I want, except you.  I want you."  </p>
<p>It was tempting, and it would be so easy, to deliberately misinterpret the words, to read in innuendo where it wasn't intended... at least not this time.  It might even help Clarke – help both of them – relax, and sleep, and they could come back to all this in the morning with clearer heads.  </p>
<p>"I just don't want to disappoint anyone," Clarke said.  "They're all so happy, so excited, and—"</p>
<p>"This isn't about them," Lexa said.  "This is about us.  It's about you.  Whatever you want—"</p>
<p>"What about you?" Clarke asked.  "What do <i>you</i> want?"</p>
<p>"I want you to be happy," Lexa said.  </p>
<p>Clarke shook her head.  She wasn't going to let Lexa get away with an answer that, while true, also allowed her to abdicate responsibility for any decision-making.  And she was right to do it, right to call Lexa on it, because it wasn't fair for her to put everything on Clarke.  "I want <i>you</i> to be happy," Clarke said.  "You can't tell me you haven't given <i>any</i> thought to it.  You don't just decide to propose to someone without thinking about what comes after."  </p>
<p>Lexa felt blood creeping up her neck, flushing her cheeks and the tips of her ears.  She cleared her throat.  "I mean..."</p>
<p>A smile – no, a smirk – spread across Clarke's face, and her eyes were brighter than they had been all evening, sparkling with mischief.  "You <i>have</i> thought about it!" she crowed.  "You probably can't stop thinking about it!"  She tugged on Lexa's hand.  "I bet you've set up a wedding website already!"  Her eyes went wide.  "Do you have a Pinterest board?  You do, don't you?  You have the whole <i>aesthetic</i> all planned out!"</p>
<p>"I do <i>not</i> have a Pinterest board!" Lexa sputtered.  "I don't even have a Pinterest account!"  She scrunched her nose, ducking her head to tuck it into the curve of Clarke's neck.  "Anyway, you can make things like that right on the wedding website," she mumbled.</p>
<p>Clarke threw back her head and laughed, and kept laughing until Lexa tackled her back against the arm of the couch and tried to silence her with her own mouth, and even then she kept giggling into the kiss until they were both laughing.  </p>
<p>"Show me," Clarke said, when they were so breathless they had to admit defeat and come up for air.  She combed her fingers through Lexa's hair where her head rested on Clarke's chest, her eyes closed as she focused on the rhythmic thud of her heart.  </p>
<p>Lexa didn't move right away, because moments like this still felt like a miracle and she hated to lose even a second of them when they happened, even though they would have a lifetime more of them.  If her accident had taught her anything, it was that a lifetime might not be as long as you thought, and one bad decision – and it might not be yours – could end everything.</p>
<p>Thankfully, she'd been lucky.  What could have been an end had instead become the most amazing beginning, and she vowed – she made a mental note to include it in her actual vows, which she may or may not have already started drafting – never to take it for granted.</p>
<p>She turned her head, placed a kiss on Clarke's sternum, and then one on her lips.  Lexa reached for her laptop and showed her.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"Do I get to say, 'I told you so'?" Lincoln asked.  "Because I told you so."</p>
<p>"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Lexa said, waving her hand dismissively.  "You may have made one or two valid points somewhere along the line, but let's not get ahead of ourselves here."  </p>
<p>Lincoln grinned, and Lexa tried to resist but she couldn't help smiling back.  "So what's on the agenda for today?" he asked.  </p>
<p>"Today I need to figure out what I'm going to wear," Lexa said.  </p>
<p>Lincoln's eyebrows went up and he paused in the process of sliding back Lexa's passenger seat as far as it could go.  "You're taking me dress shopping?"</p>
<p>Lexa gave him a scathing look.  "When was the last time you saw me in a dress?" she asked.</p>
<p>Lincoln tipped his head back against the headrest as she looked over her shoulder to make sure the road was clear before backing into it.  "I feel like it had to have happened at least once," he said.  "I know it'll come to me."  </p>
<p>Lexa snorted.  "I did consider it," she admitted.  "But I feel like if I wore a dress, that's all anyone would have anything to say about?  Like it would distract people from more important things.  Like Clarke."  </p>
<p>"It's your day, too," Lincoln said.  </p>
<p>"I know," Lexa said.  "Trust me, Clarke isn't letting me forget it.  Something about, 'You got us into this mess, you're sure as hell going to help get us out.'"  </p>
<p>Lincoln's forehead furrowed.  "That... doesn't sound great?"</p>
<p>"She's joking," Lexa said.  <i>Mostly.</i>  "She usually says it after seeing her mother.  Or talking to her.  Or receiving a barrage of texts from her."  </p>
<p>Neither of them had been prepared for how invested Abby would be in making their wedding as perfect as possible.  While they appreciated the fact that one of the aspects of that investment was financial – it let them dream a little bigger than their comfortable-but-not-opulent household budget would have allowed – it was a little harder to appreciate the near-constant stream of helpful suggestions that came their way.</p>
<p>"It's not even as if she's trying to take control, or steer us in any particular direction," Lexa said.  "She's happy – or says she's happy – with whatever we decide.  She just has so many <i>ideas</i>, and what about this venue and what about that caterer and it's just... a lot."  </p>
<p>"There are worse things," Lincoln pointed out.  </p>
<p>"I know," Lexa said with a sympathetic grimace.  His girlfriend Octavia's mother had already told her more than once that if she dared to marry Lincoln, she would not be in attendance.  Octavia claimed she didn't care, but Lexa knew first-hand how hard it was to turn off feelings for one's parents, no matter how shitty they made you feel about everything you ever did or said or were.  </p>
<p>"Are you inviting your father?" Lincoln asked, as if he'd read her mind.  More likely he'd just read her face.  She was pretty good at keeping her expression neutral when she had to, but her eyes always gave her away, at least to people who knew her.</p>
<p>"I don't know," Lexa said.  "We're trying to keep it small – just our closest friends and family – and he doesn't really qualify.  He's never even met Clarke."  </p>
<p>Lincoln nodded.  "I hope I made the cut, at least," he joked.</p>
<p>She stretched out her elbow to jab him in the arm as she turned the wheel.  "Asshole," she said.  He just grinned again.  </p>
<p>Lexa slowed down as they got closer to the center of town, eyes darting side-to-side in search of a parking space even though she knew she wasn't likely to find one at this time of day.  She would end up in the lot way at the end of the main shopping area, as usual, and they would have to backtrack to their destination.  "There is one invitation I'm not sure about," she admitted.  </p>
<p>"Who?" Lincoln asked.  When Lexa didn't answer immediately, he looked over at her and his face fell.  "Oh," he said.  </p>
<p>"Yeah."  Lexa sighed, easing the car forward, then slamming on the brakes so hard her seatbelt bit into her chest as a car started to back out of its parking spot right in front of her.  She glanced behind her, but there was no way to back up to give it more room, so she just stayed where she was, giving a little wave as they pulled away and she swung into the space.  </p>
<p>"Why not?" Lincoln asked, rubbing at his chest as he released his seatbelt.  </p>
<p>"We haven't really spoken in years," Lexa said.  "Not since..."  <i>Not since she lost her brother and possibly her mind and I didn't know what to do to help her,</i> Lexa thought.  She didn't need to say it out loud because Lincoln already knew.  He'd been there, watched it happen like a slow-motion car crash (which was a bad choice of analogy because it hit far too close to home) and been just as helpless as Lexa to stop it.  Only he'd found a way to reconnect and Lexa never had.  </p>
<p>Lexa had never really tried, either.  </p>
<p>An invitation to the wedding could be an olive branch, but was it the right one?  Or was it too little, too late, or...</p>
<p>"I just don't want to..."  Lexa frowned.  "I don't know.  I just don't want to somehow make things worse."</p>
<p>"What's worse than not having your one-time best friend at your wedding?"</p>
<p><i>Not having your almost-sister at your wedding,</i> Lexa thought, but that was a different conversation entirely, and not one Lincoln could do anything about.  It made her chest hurt – not just from its run-in with the seatbelt – to think about all of the people who would have been at the top of the guest list if they were still alive to RSVP.  Her mom, Clarke's dad, Anya...</p>
<p>Luna didn't have to be one of them.  Because Luna was still alive.  </p>
<p>"You're right," Lexa said.  She pulled her phone from her pocket and added Luna's name to the tentative guest list in her Notes app.  She had no idea whether Luna would come, or even respond, but it didn't hurt – well, maybe a little – to try.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"Aden, <i>shoes</i>," Lexa said.  "We're going to be late!"</p>
<p>"I can't <i>find</i> them!" Aden said.  </p>
<p>"This is why you're supposed to take them off when you come inside and leave them by the door," Lexa pointed out.  "Go  upstairs and see if you can find another pair that still fits."  As if there was much chance of that.  Lexa wasn't sure of it was all the swimming and running in sprinklers keeping him well-watered, but it seemed like he was growing as quickly as the weeds in the yard it felt like Lexa was constantly mowing down.  </p>
<p>Aden huffed a sigh and stomped up the stairs, hunching his back and swinging his arms like he had suddenly become some kind of beleaguered ape.  A few seconds later – not nearly long enough for him to have actually <i>looked</i> - he yelled down, "They're not here, either!"</p>
<p>"Find a <i>different pair</i>!" Lexa shouted back.</p>
<p>Again, too quickly for anything more than a cursory glance, "I can only find left ones!"</p>
<p>"Oh for fuck's—" Lexa grumbled and began to climb the stairs.  She yanked her phone from her pocket when it started to vibrate, answering without looking because she assumed it was Clarke, calling to make sure they were on their way.  "He can't find his shoes," she said, rolling her eyes hard.</p>
<p>"Oh.  Um."  </p>
<p>Lexa froze.  It wasn't Clarke.  She glanced at the screen and didn't recognize the number, and nearly hung up because she didn't have time to deal with a telemarketer, but—</p>
<p>"Lexa?"</p>
<p>It didn't <i>sound</i> like a telemarketer.  It sounded like—</p>
<p>"<i>Luna</i>?"</p>
<p>"Um.  Yes?"  </p>
<p>Lexa pressed her hand to the wall to steady herself.  She'd included a note in with Luna's invitation (Lincoln had given her the address), a brief apology for not reaching out sooner and her hope that they could reconnect.  She'd forgotten – how had she forgotten? – that she'd included her phone number at the bottom.  </p>
<p>"Holy shit," she breathed.  "Luna."</p>
<p>"Hi," Luna said, and Lexa could hear the smile in her voice and even after all these years she could picture it clear as if she'd only seen her yesterday.  "Is this a bad time?"</p>
<p>Lexa laughed.  "It's—"</p>
<p>"I found them!"  Aden appeared in his bedroom door, holding up his shoes triumphantly.  "Dad!  I found them!"</p>
<p>"Awesome, bud," Lexa said.  "Now put them on your feet.  Sorry," she added to Luna.  "He—"</p>
<p>"Couldn't find his shoes," Luna finished.  "I gathered."</p>
<p>"Right," Lexa said.</p>
<p>"Did he... call you Dad?" Luna asked.  </p>
<p>"Yup," Lexa said, popping the p.  "It used to only be sometimes, but now that I'm marrying his mom, it's pretty much all the time."  </p>
<p>"That's... probably very confusing for people," Luna said.  "And I bet you love every minute of it."  </p>
<p>And it was like no time had passed at all, because even though they hadn't spoken in years, Luna still knew who Lexa was at her core.  Maybe the same wouldn't be true in reverse, but now that lines of communication had been reopened, the bridges Lexa had feared burned turned out to be made of sterner stuff than she'd thought, and time would tell.</p>
<p>"I'll let you go," Luna said.  "I just wanted to say hi.  And congratulations."</p>
<p>"Thank you," Lexa said.  "I'll call you later?"</p>
<p>"I'll be here," Luna said.  </p>
<p>They exchanged goodbyes, and Lexa scooped up Aden and swung him around so he was clinging to her back, shoes on but laces still untied, and carried him out to the car piggy-back, dumping him giggling into the back seat to go meet up with Clarke and their caterer to pick out exactly what kind of cake they wanted for the wedding.  And the rest of the menu, Lexa supposed, but mostly – and most importantly – cake.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"Hey Dad!"  Aden clambered into Lexa's lap to wrap his arms firmly around her throat.  She hugged him to her, then gently set him back on his feet, holding him at arm's length.  </p>
<p>"Wow, bud!" she said, looking him up and down.  "Don't you look handsome?"</p>
<p>He lifted his chin and straightened the bow tie beneath it, grinning proudly.  "Yes, I do," he said.</p>
<p>Lexa stifled a laugh.  One day she would explain rhetorical questions to him, but today was not that day.  "Shouldn't you be with your mom?" she asked.  Even though the ringbearer was generally considered to be part of the groom's side, and in this scenario Lexa was playing the role of the groom, in that she would be waiting at the end of the aisle rather than walking down it, Lexa didn't want Clarke worrying about the whereabouts of her – their – son on their wedding day.  </p>
<p>"She sent me to spy – I mean <i>check</i> on you," Aden said.  </p>
<p>This time Lexa let herself laugh.  "Oh she did, did she?"  They'd agreed not to see each other before the wedding, at least once they arrived at the venue.  It would have been impossible to stay apart for longer than that without paying for a hotel room that neither of them would have wanted to sleep in alone, so they'd decided to spare themselves the expense and the sleepless night.  They'd only parted ways a few hours ago, but clearly Lexa wasn't the only one eagerly awaiting their moment of reunion.</p>
<p>"How does Mom look?" she asked.  </p>
<p>Aden made a motion like he was zipping his lips.  "I can't tell you," he said.  "I mean mm mmm mmm mm."  He grinned and leaned in so his lips almost brushed Lexa's ear.  "But she looks really, <i>really</i> beautiful.  But shhhh!"  He zipped his lips again.  </p>
<p>Lexa mimicked the motion.  "I won't say a word," she said.  But she checked her pocket to make sure the handkerchief she'd tucked into it was still in place, just in case.  The last thing she needed was raccoon eyes in their wedding pictures.  </p>
<p>She hugged Aden again and sent him back to Clarke, then looked at herself in the mirror, adjusting her tie even though it was already perfectly straight.  </p>
<p><i>The only straight thing about you,</i> she thought with a crooked smile, hearing the joke in several voices all at once, some of which she would soon hear, others she would never hear again.</p>
<p>Lincoln came up behind her and put his hand on her shoulder.  "You've got this," he said, meeting her eyes through the mirror.</p>
<p>Lexa smiled.  "I know."  Because despite the rush of nerves that made her hands tremble just slightly, she was more sure of what she was about to do than she'd been about anything else in her life.  She tugged on the hem of her jacket and checked the buttons, then followed Lincoln out of the little pavilion that had been set up for her to get ready in and took her place in front of the trellis of flowers that would be their altar.  </p>
<p>It wasn't <i>their</i> park, but it was <i>a</i> park, a special section of the botanical gardens set aside to be a venue for weddings and other momentous occasions, and they'd known as soon as they saw it that it was exactly where they wanted to formalize, for all the world to see, what had been in their hearts for longer than they had dared admit.  Usually it was booked up months in advance, but when they'd found out there had been a cancellation right at the end of the summer, they'd known it was fate, and put down a deposit on the spot.  </p>
<p>There had been some concern about the weather, even though there was a gazebo that they could shelter under if necessary, but the day had dawned clear and bright, and even though Lexa didn't really believe in a higher power, she couldn't help thinking it was a sign that if there was something or someone out there, they were smiling on them today.</p>
<p>The music started to play, and Aden made his way slowly down the aisle, carrying the little pillow that the rings were securely tied to as if it was a bubble that might pop if he moved to fast or jostled it too much.  He took his place beside Lexa and looked up at her, eyes wide as he looked for approval.  She flashed him a smile and a thumbs up, and he grinned, then quickly schooled his expression back to seriousness as the music swelled and Clarke appeared.  </p>
<p>Lexa's breath caught in her throat, and even though Aden had warned her, she wasn't prepared.  Because Clarke didn't just look beautiful.  She looked <i>stunning</i>.  Her dress hugged her curves, and the material glittered and glistened in the sun so she seemed almost to glow.  On her head was a dainty crown of flowers from which a diaphanous veil trailed.  It didn't cover her face, so Lexa could see the brightness of her eyes and the soft curve of her smile... and the tiniest hitch in her chest when their eyes locked and the moment, the dream, became really, truly, irrevocably <i>real</i>.</p>
<p>And then Clarke was standing in front of her, and Lexa reached for her hands probably before she was supposed to, but to hell with the rules.  This was their day, and they got to make their own rules.  Clarke smiled, squeezing her fingers, and together they went to the little table where three candles stood.  They struck a long match and lit them, one for each of the three people they wished had lived long enough to be here today.  That done, they returned to their place in front of the trellis, where the officiant was waiting.</p>
<p>Lexa barely processed a word she said.  She was too caught in Clarke's eyes and how she was somehow more beautiful today than she'd ever been, even though Lexa had always thought she was the most beautiful girl – now woman – she'd ever seen.  </p>
<p>There was a pause, and then the officiant announced, "They have prepared their own vows, which they will now exchange."  She took half a step back, and Lexa's mouth went dry as she realized she was up.  She'd never had a problem with public speaking like so many people did; she'd never been given the option of being shy or retiring.  But the stakes had never been this high before.</p>
<p>Clarke smiled at her again, squeezing her hands, and Lexa let out a breath.  Because Clarke would say 'I do' even if Lexa fumbled every word.  She would know what was in Lexa's heart even if she faltered in her delivery.  The words mattered, but the five years they'd already spent together, and every action Lexa had taken to prove her devotion to Clarke and Aden in that time, mattered more.  </p>
<p>Still, she wanted to get this right.</p>
<p>"Clarke," Lexa said, her tone gentle but her voice loud enough to carry.  "From the moment I met you – no, from the moment I saw you across that crowded lecture hall freshman year – I knew I wanted to know you.  From the moment we first spoke, I knew I wanted you in my life.  And from our first date that wasn't a date, I knew I would do any and everything I could to be the friend, the partner, you wanted and needed.  As days turned to weeks, and then to years, I fell more and more in love with you.  I fell in love with your strength and your tenacity.  I fell in love with your tenderness and your vulnerability.  I fell in love with how deeply and ferociously you love your son."  Lexa felt Aden stir beside her, shuffling just a little closer.  She glanced down at him and smiled, and saw Clarke do the same, and their smiles only grew brighter when they locked eyes again.  "I fell in love with you on good days and on bad ones, in sickness and in health, for richer and for poorer.  I fell, and I kept falling.  And then I was in an accident, which could have brought the fall – could have brought everything – to a screeching halt."</p>
<p>Clarke's fingers twitched, clenching around Lexa's, and Lexa stroked her thumbs over the backs of Clarke's hands, trying to soothe her.  "It didn't," she said.  "It didn't, because you caught me.  And after so many years of falling endlessly – and I thought hopelessly – in love with you, I finally landed.  I was safe.  Because you loved – love – me too.  And what could have been the end turned out to only be the beginning, and for that – for you – I will be eternally grateful.  So my vow to you today is the same one I made all those years ago, even though you didn't know it at the time: I promise to be the friend that you want and the partner you need.  I promise to be the father Aden deserves.  I promise to be there for you every day, to face whatever it brings with the strength and bravery and heart you have demonstrated for me for all these years.  I promise to love you, and our son, more tomorrow than I do today, and to never take tomorrow, or you, for granted.  I promise you my heart, today and every day, for the rest of our lives."  </p>
<p>Clarke let out a breath as a tear worked itself free of her lashes and began its descent down her cheek.  Lexa reached out to brush it away with the ball of her thumb, remembering belatedly the handkerchief in her pocket.  Before she could reach for it, Clarke caught her hand and pressed her cheek into it, just for a moment.  Her smile returned, and she brushed her lips against Lexa's fingertips before settling their joined hands back between their bodies.  </p>
<p>"I remember the day you asked me out – even though I didn't realize it was as anything other than a friend – like it was yesterday," Clarke said.  "I think I always will.  Because in that moment I had a choice: to lie and keep you for a little longer, or to tell the truth and watch you walk away like so many others had.  People I cared about.  People I thought cared about me.  And the thing was, even though I barely knew you, you mattered.  If you'd asked me why, I wouldn't have had an answer, but you did.  I knew you did.  And I realized I didn't really have a choice after all, because if you were going to walk away, better now than later, when we'd both gotten invested.  So I told you I couldn't.  I had to go pick up my son.  And I waited for the forced smile, the polite excuse, and for you to forget – or at least act as if you'd forgotten – I ever existed.  You didn't.  Instead, you suggested that instead of getting coffee we take him to the park for a picnic.  You let him eat half of your sandwich and use you as a jungle gym, all the while treating me like I was still someone you wanted to know, to spend time with, to have in your life.  When you held Aden in your lap – not that he gave you a choice – and didn't complain when he got peanut butter all over your shirt... I think that's when I knew.  You were my – our – future.  You were my forever."  </p>
<p>Lexa swallowed hard, trying to clear the lump from her throat, because she remembered that day like it was yesterday, too.  And god, what would it have been like if they'd known each other's hearts then?  Would they still be standing here today?  Or would it have been too much, too soon?  She sucked in a breath and let it out, let it go.  It was like she'd told Clarke: everything was happening exactly when and how it was supposed to.  </p>
<p>"Fast forward five years.  Five years of ups and downs – but more ups than downs, I think.  Five years of friendship, but more than that.  From the moment we moved into our first apartment, we were a family.  You were there when I needed you, and there even when I didn't realize – especially when I didn't realize – I needed you.  You love Aden like your own and love me like... like it's taken me five years to learn I deserve to be loved.  Maybe I'm still learning, but you never get tired of teaching me.  I don't think you ever will.  And for that I can only say thank you."  Clarke squeezed her hands, silently acknowledging the tears that blurred Lexa's vision.  "As for my vows... I promise to love you and support you as you have loved and supported me.  I promise to lend you a hand – or a set of legs – when you need it, even when you're being stubborn and insisting you don't.  I promise to challenge you when you need challenging, but also to always have your back.  I promise to face the world with you, side-by-side, hand-in-hand, no matter what, as your friend, your partner, your co-parent, your wife.   I promise you today, and all of my tomorrows, because you are, and always will be, my forever."  </p>
<p>"Clarke," Lexa whispered, only the only audible sound was the k, and it was all she could do to not lean in and kiss her then and there.  The only thing that really stopped her was the fact that she could feel the heat radiating from Aden's body as he pressed even closer, knowing it was almost his moment to shine.</p>
<p>"May we have the rings, please?" the officiant asked.  </p>
<p>Aden nearly tripped over his own feet in his haste to offer them up, and Lexa reached out to steady him.  'Sorry,' he mouthed, but she just smiled and squeezed his shoulder.  It took her what felt like an eternity to untie the ring, even though it was a simple bow that secured it, because her hands were shaking.  Finally, she freed it and reached for Clarke's hands again.  </p>
<p>"Do you, Clarke, take Lexa to be your lawfully wedded wife?" the officiant asked.  </p>
<p>"I do," Clarke said, her voice gone raspy with emotion.  Lexa slid the ring onto her finger, and for a moment they both just stared at their joined hands, until Aden's restless fidgeting reminded them that they weren't done yet.  </p>
<p>Clarke released Lexa's hands to hug Aden tight before carefully untying the second ring from the pillow.  Lexa clenched her fingers, then released them, hoping her hand would be steady as she offered it to Clarke.</p>
<p>"Do you, Lexa, take Clarke to be your lawfully wedded wife?" </p>
<p>"I do," Lexa said, looking straight into the deep pools of Clarke's eyes.  Clarke held her gaze for the space of a heartbeat, then looked down at the ring that was now settled at the base of Lexa's finger.  Lexa looked too, and this time when the urge to kiss Clarke rose, she didn't have to resist it.  </p>
<p>There was applause, and even Aden did an excited little jig, as their lips met, and parted, and met again before they were presented to the gathering of their friends and family as officially wed.  Lexa looked at Clarke, and Clarke looked back, and even though they hadn't planned it, they both reached for Aden's hands.  Lexa tucked the now empty pillow under her arm, and the three of them walked down the aisle together, not as a pair of newlyweds but as they had always been: a family.</p>
<hr/>
<p>On Monday, they filed the paperwork to begin the process of Lexa officially adopting Aden.  With nothing to stand in their way, and five years of history on their side, it was finalized only a few days later, and if anything, the small party they threw to celebrate that was even more joyful than the wedding reception had been (which was a pretty high bar).  Maybe it was only that no one felt the need to be formal, and there were no protocols or traditions they felt compelled to adhere to, so they could just have <i>fun</i>.  </p>
<p>"You're really, really, really my real dad now!" Aden kept saying, climbing into Lexa's lap and onto her back and generally recreating the first day they'd met, complete with accidentally grinding food into her shirt with his unwashed sticky fingers.  </p>
<p>"I really, really, really am," she told him every time, hugging him and cuddling him as much as he allowed, then reaching for Clarke and gently wiping away her tears when he bounced off again.  </p>
<p>"I love you," Clarke whispered against her lips.  "After I had him, I honestly never—"</p>
<p>"Shh," Lexa murmured, kissing her again, and Clarke nodded and settled against her side as they watched their son play, not for the first time and certainly not for the last.  </p>
<p>"Watch me, Dad!" Aden called.  "Dad, Dad, watch me!"  </p>
<p>Lexa found herself grinning like an idiot, and Clarke smiled at her with that special smile that never failed to melt Lexa's heart.  </p>
<p>"You think that will ever get old?" Clarke asked.</p>
<p>Lexa shook her head.  "Never," she said.  </p>
<p>Clarke wrapped her arms around Lexa's waist and rested her head on Lexa's shoulder.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Slowly, they settled back into their routine.  Clarke and Lexa went back to work and Aden went back to school.  Life was hectic and at times chaotic, but it was a familiar kind of chaos and they embraced it, because nothing and everything had changed.  </p>
<p>The biggest difference was that every night, after one or the other or both of them had tucked Aden in, and they'd made sure everything ready for the next day, they got to tuck themselves in together, and that part still felt new and exciting, and Lexa wondered if it would take another five years, or ten or fifteen or fifty before that feeling wore off.  </p>
<p>Maybe it never would.  Lexa didn't think she would mind if that proved to be true.</p>
<p>Friday night was movie night.  They gathered on the couch (with Aden usually in his favorite spot squished between them) with a big bowl of popcorn and cuddled while they watched whatever at least two out of three of them could agree on.  Aden usually settled down after a while, drowsy as it neared his bedtime, but tonight he was restless.  </p>
<p>"Ants in your pants, kiddo?" Clarke teased.  </p>
<p>Aden shook his head and tried to be still, but Lexa could feel the tension in him, like he was working up to something.  From the way he sucked in air as soon as the movie ended, she knew it was something big.  She tried to brace herself.</p>
<p>"Soooo," Aden said, in what Lexa was sure was supposed to be a casual tone.  "Now that you are <i>finally</i> married... when are you going to have a baby?"</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry not sorry for the cliffhanger.  😁  Don't worry, there will be another story in the series!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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